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COLLEGE  EDUCATION 


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1  he  Aims  and  Defects 


of 


College  Education. 

Comments   and   Suggestions    by    Prominent 
Americans 

An  Original  Investigation 


By 

Foster  Partridge  Boswell,  Ph.D. 

Professor  of  Psychology  and  Education  in  Hobart  College 
With  an  Introduction  by 

George  Eastman 

President  of  the  Eastman  Kodak  Company 

The  Hobart  College  Series  — 0     x)   ^  o 

No.  I  Students  Library 


Published  for 

The  Hobart  College  ^§^^^3  Barbara,  California 

New  York         G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons  London 

I9I5 


\V' 


Copyright,   1915 

BY 

FOSTER  PARTRIDGE    BOSWELL 


Ube  Itnfclterboclter  press,  "Rew  IQorb 


INTRODUCTION 

pROFESSOR  BOSWELL  has  asked 
me  to  write  a  foreword  for  his 
Aims  and  Defects  of  College  Education. 
My  point  of  view  is  only  that  of  a  business 
man  who,  having  missed  the  benefits  of 
such  an  education,  has  observed  with  per- 
haps added  interest  its  effects  upon  others. 
There  is  no  doubt  in  my  mind  about  the 
desirability  of  such  an  education  provided 
the  material  is  suitable;  nor  doubt  that 
the  effects  which  should  be  produced  are 
increased  steadiness  of  character  and 
clearness  of  mind.  But  then  there  is  the 
second  question  which  involves,  it  seems 
to  me,  the  use  of  these  qualities;  how 
soon  a  man  can  bring  them  to  bear  when 
he  leaves  college.     Does  not  this  depend 


iv  Introduction 

largely  upon  what  he  has  been  taught  and 
how  he  has  been  taught?  Admitting, 
if  you  like,  that  vocational  training  has 
been  sometimes  carried  along  too  narrow 
paths,  is  it  not  possible  that  a  liberal 
education  may  be  made  needlessly  in- 
definite? Is  there  really  any  reason  why 
a  young  man  who  is  contemplating  enter- 
ing business  when  he  leaves  college  should 
not  while  he  is  there  learn  something 
definite  about,  for  instance,  dealing  with 
employees;  about  how  to  avoid  contracts 
that  are  capable  of  more  than  one  inter- 
pretation; about  cost  accounting;  and  the 
evils  of  slipshod  letter  writing?  These 
are  some  of  the  most  fimdamental  of  the 
things  which  a  business  man  has  to  deal 
with  and  are  those  which  will  confront 
the  college  graduate  when  he  tries  to 
transact  business.  They  are  also  those 
in  which  his  competitor  has  been  acctunu- 
lating  experience  while  the  student  has 


Introduction  v 

been  in  college.  Is  there  any  doubt  that 
many  college  graduates  are  a  little  raw 
in  respect  to  such  matters,  or  that  their 
mistakes  are  all  the  more  conspicuous 
because  they  are  college  graduates? 
Would  some  instruction  on  such  definite 
subjects  lessen  the  breadth  of  say  the 
regular  liberal  arts  course?  To  put  it 
in  another  way,  if  a  young  man's  mind 
is  the  ax  with  which  he  proposes  to  hew 
his  way  through  life,  should  he  while  in 
college  confine  all  his  efforts  to  sharpening 
the  ax  or  should  he  at  the  same  time  learn 
a  little  about  how  to  swing  it? 

The  questions  raised  by  Professor  Bos- 
well  are  most  important  and  a  discussion 
of  them  such  as  is  had  in  the  following 
pages  cannot  in  my  opinion  fail  to  be  of 
value. 

George  Eastman. 

Rochester,  N.  Y., 
March  15,  1915. 


CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION 
I  PART  I 

PAGE 

Comments  by  Prominent  Americans  on 

College  Education       .         .         .         i 

'       PART  II 

Results  and  Implications  ...      47 


va 


PART  I 

COMMENTS  BY  PROMINENT  AMERICANS  ON 
COLLEGE  EDUCATION 

O  OB  ART  COLLEGE  has  fortunately 
•'•  ^  been  able  to  secure  the  coopera- 
tion of  a  number  of  men  of  national 
prominence  in  an  investigation  concerning 
the  proper  aims  and  more  common  defects 
of  college  education.  The  comments  and 
suggestions  of  these  men,  expressed  in 
their  own  words,  together  with  a  sum- 
mary and  certain  conclusions  of  my  own, 
are  presented  in  the  following  pages. 

Our  schools  and  colleges  are  not  natu- 
rally in  a  position  to  observe  the  effects 
of  different  educational  methods  on  the 
lives  and  careers  of  students  who,  having 
finished  their  courses  of  instruction,  have 

X 


2  Aims  and  Defects  of 

gone  out  into  the  world.  Educators  feel, 
however,  very  keenly  the  limitations 
and  defects  of  present-day  institutions  of 
learning,  and  are  often  led,  in  their  en- 
deavors to  improve  matters,  into  making 
injudicious  changes  or  into  following  un- 
wise policies  of  ultra-conservatism. 

It  is  necessary,  then,  for  those  educa- 
tional institutions  which  wish  to  discern 
the  soundest  practices  and  to  properly 
adapt  their  curriculxim  of  studies  to  meet 
present  conditions,  to  seek  all  the  informa- 
tion possible  in  regard  to  the  worth  of 
different  forms  of  educational  training 
in  order  to  determine  the  proper  aims  to 
pursue  and  the  defects  to  eliminate. 

Hobart  College,  therefore,  desiring  to 
put  her  methods  of  instruction  on  as 
efficient  a  basis  as  possible,  addressed  a 
letter  of  inquiry,  quoted  below,  to  a 
nimiber  of  men  prominent  in  American 
business,    professional,    and   public   life. 


College  Education  3 

Such  men,  we  considered,  would  not  only 
be  able  to  speak  with  authority  from  their 
own  experience,  but  would  naturally  be 
in  a  position  to  observe  many  men,  both 
college  graduates  and  those  without  col- 
lege training,  to  compare  their  abilities, 
and  thus  to  judge  concerning  the  value  of 
various  educational  aims  and  policies. 
The  combined  judgment  of  men  of  unusual 
ability  and  discernment  should  be  of  great 
assistance  to  all  concerned  with  the 
problem  of  college  education  in  indicating 
the  wisest  course  to  follow  to  obtain  the 
best  educational  results.  Two  questions 
only  were  asked,  as  these  were  thought 
sufficient  to  indicate  the  nature  of  the 
inquiry,  and  more  likely  to  elicit  original- 
ity and  freedom  of  discussion  than  would 
an  elaborate  questionnaire.  The  letter 
read  as  follows: 

"Hobart  College  desires  to  put  her  methods 
of  instruction  on  as  efficient  as  possible  a 


4  Aims  and  Defects  of 

basis,  in  order  to  fit  her  graduates,  as  far  as  a 
strictly  college  training  may,  to  make  good  in 
the  professional  and  business  world. 

"We  do  not  mean  to  give  technical  in- 
struction, nor  to  lose  sight  of  the  true  pur- 
poses of  a  cultural  education,  and  endeavor  to 
compete  with  the  many  excellent  technical 
and  professional  schools  in  which  specialized 
instruction  may  be  obtained.  But  we  are 
nevertheless  conscious  that  undergraduate 
education  is  capable  of  decided  improvement, 
especially  in  regard  to  the  purposes  it  is 
intended  to  serve  in  the  training  of  the 
individual  student  for  a  useful  career. 

"Therefore  we  should  be  very  glad  to 
obtain  your  opinion,  together  with  that  of 
other  men  prominent  in  American  business, 
professional,  and  public  life  who  are  coop- 
erating with  us,  in  regard  to  the  two  following 
questions. 

"  What  traits  of  character  and  mind  should 
a  college  aim  to  develop  in  its  students  to 
make  them  useful  and  efficient  in  modem 
life? 

"In  what  ways  does  the  present  college 
education  fail  in  giving  students  training  it 
is  able  to  give? 


College  Education  5 

"  We  shall  be  very  grateful  indeed  for  your 
kind  cooperation  with  us  in  this  investigation. 

"Yours,  etc." 

A  most  gratifying  response  was  made 
by  the  men  addressed,  who  were  kind  and 
public-spirited  enough  to  devote  much 
time  and  energy  to  cooperating  with  us 
in  this  investigation,  although  they  were 
all  busied  with  important  affairs.  Among 
those  who  replied  were  the  following : 

The  Hon.  Joseph  H.  Choate,  LL.D., 
formerly  American  Ambassador  at  the 
Court  of  St.  James;  the  Hon.  Andrew 
D.  White,  LL.D.,  formerly  American 
Ambassador  to  Germany,  and  for  many 
years  President  of  Cornell  University; 
the  Hon.  Alton  B.  Parker,  formerly 
Democratic  candidate  for  the  Presidency 
of  the  United  States;  the  Hon.  Marcus 
M.  Marks,  President  of  the  Borough 
of  Manhattan;  the  Hon.  Henry  G.  Dan- 
forth,    M.C.;   Charles    R.     Van     Hise, 


6  Aims  and  Defects  of 

LL.D.,  President  of  the  University  of 
Wisconsin;  Eugene  A.  Noble,  LL.D., 
President  of  Dickinson  College;  Professor 
Frederick  S.  Jones,  LL.D.,  Dean  of  Yale 
College;  Professor  John  H.  Wigmore, 
LL.D.,  Dean  of  Northwestern  University 
School  of  Law;  Professor  Mortimer  E. 
Cooley,  Dean  of  the  Department  of 
Engineering  of  Michigan  University; 
Professor  Joseph  F.  Johnson,  Dean  of 
the  School  of  Commerce,  New  York 
University;  Professor  Irving  Fisher,  of  the 
Department  of  Political  Economy,  Yale 
University;  Professor  W.  F.  Willoughby, 
of  the  Department  of  History,  Politics, 
and  Economics,  Princeton  University; 
Anson  Phelps  Stokes,  University  Secre- 
tary, Yale  University;  Professor  John 
B.  Clark,  of  the  Division  of  Economics  and 
History,  New  York  University,  and  of  the 
Carnegie  Endowment  for  International 
Peace;  Professor   J.    W.    Jenks,  of    the 


College  Education  7 

School  of  Commerce,  New  York  Univer- 
sity; Calvin  W.  Rice,  Secretary  of  the 
American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engi- 
neers; George  M.  Eidlitz,  of  Marc 
Eidlitz  &  Son,  New  York  City;  Edwin  B. 
Katte,  Chief  Engineer  Electrical  Traction 
of  the  New  York  Central  Railroad;  Mrs. 
Rose  Pastor  Stokes,  Socialist;  Hamilton 
W.  Holt,  of  the  Independent;  Ernest  H. 
Abbott,  of  the  Outlook;  W.  P.  Ham- 
ilton, of  the  Wall  Street  Journal;  W.  A. 
White,  of  the  Emporia  Gazette;  Charles 
E.  Fitch,  formerly  of  the  Rochester 
Democrat  and  Chronicle;  F.  A.  Van- 
derlip.  President  of  the  National  City 
Bank,  New  York  City;  Darwin  P.  Kings- 
ley,  President  of  the  New  York  Life 
Insurance  Company,  New  York  City; 
J.  G.  Schmidlapp,  of  Cincinnati;  Rufus 
A.  Sibley,  of  Sibley,  Lindsey  &  Curr 
Co.,  Rochester,  N.  Y.;  William  H.  Inger- 
soll,  of  the  IngersoU  Watch  Co.;  F.  C. 


8  Aims  and  Defects  of 

Henderschott,  of  the  New  York  Edison 
Co.;  W.  R.  Brown,  of  the  BerHn  Mills 
Co.;  Henry  T.  Noyes,  of  the  German- 
American  Button  Company,  Rochester, 
N.  Y.;  Charies  E.  Treman,  Ithaca,  N.  Y. 

I  take  great  pleasure  in  expressing  to 
these  gentlemen,  and  to  all  who  aided  us, 
the  thanks  due  them  from  Hobart  College 
for  their  kind  cooperation  in  so  important 
a  matter,  and  for  their  very  valuable  and 
illuminating  comments  and  suggestions. 
Their  ideas  have  not  only  proved  of  value 
to  us,  but  will,  I  believe,  be  of  service  to 
other  colleges  in  making  more  clear  the 
aims  and  defects  of  American  college 
education. 

Among  the  many  comments  and  sug- 
gestions which  were  received  the  following 
seemed  to  be  of  especial  interest,  and 
likely  to  merit  the  consideration  of  those 
interested  in  the  problems  of  college 
education.     The  expressions  of  opinion 


College  Education  9 

concerning  the  aims  and  defects  of  college 
education,  by  men  in  public  life,  con- 
stitute the  first  group  of  comments. 

'"In  answer  to  your  first  question  I  should 
say,  tenacity  of  purpose,  concentration,  and 
temperance  in  all  things."  Concerning  de- 
fects, there  is  "too  much  time  for  play  and 
entirely  too  much  vacation.  Boys  do  not 
require  three  or  four  months  of  the  year  for 
vacation." 

'"The  best  teachers  ever  known  to  me 
during  my  preparation  for  college  had,  so  far 
as  I  can  find  out,  no  theories,  but  simply  a 
love  for  the  subject  they  taught  and  an  in- 
born desire  to  interest  others  in  it. 

"It  is  encouraging  to  know  that  you  are  in 
favor  of  restricting  Hobart  to  what  is  usually 
called  'collegiate'  work,  which,  at  this  mo- 
ment, is  greatly  needed  throughout  the 
country.  .  .  . 

'  Quoted  from  the  letter  of  the  Hon.  Joseph  H,  Choate, 
LL.D.,  formerly  American  Ambassador  at  the  Court  of 
St.  James. 

'  Quoted  from  the  letter  of  the  Hon.  Andrew  D.  White, 
LL.D.,  formerly  American  Ambassador  to  Germany,  and 
for  many  years  President  of  Cornell  University. 


10  Aims  and  Defects  of 

"Perhaps  the  greatest  mistakes  in  col- 
legiate education  and,  indeed,  in  education 
generally,  lie  in  the  failure  to  interest  the 
student  in  the  subjects  he  is  pursuing. " 

^  "The  traits  of  character  and  mind,  which, 
to  my  notion,  a  college  should  aim  to  develop 
in  its  students  to  make  them  useful  and 
efficient  in  modem  life,  are  love  of  work, 
courage,  common  sense,  and  a  true  patriotism, 
which  will  lead  the  individual  to  identify 
himself  with  one  of  the  great  political  parties 
and  through  that  channel  work  for  the  pre- 
servation of  our  governmental  scheme,  as 
originally  planned,  and  in  opposition  to  social- 
ism and  all  sociaHstic  and  other  mushroom 
theories. 

"The  failure  to  bring  home  to  the  yoimg 
man  the  conviction  that  he  has  a  life  work  to 
perform  and  that  any  failiu*e  on  his  part  to 
carry  his  share  of  the  common  burden,  made 
heavier  by  our  complicated  civilization, 
throws  upon  other  members  of  society,  an 
imfair  share  of  that  burden. " 

*  This  letter  from  Judge  Alton  B.  Parker,  LL.D.,  for- 
merly Democratic  candidate  for  the  Presidency  of  the 
United  States,  is  quoted  in  full. 


College  Education  ii 

*  "The  traits  of  character  and  mind  which 
a  college  should  aim  to  develop  in  the  students 
to  make  them  able  and  efficient  in  modem  life 
are  to  see  clearly  and  to  think  clearly;  in 
other  words,  concentration  on  the  subject, 
regardless  of  what  the  subject  may  be.  .  .  . 

"The  present  training  fails  to  give  the 
student  thorough  mastery  of  a  subject. 
College  training,  generally,  is  devoted  to 
teaching  principles  by  committing  them  to 
memory,  whereas  the  principles  should  be 
learned  by  object-lessons;  so  the  reason  for 
the  principles  will  appear  to  the  student.  .  .  . 

"Not  sufficient  attention  is  paid  to  teach- 
ing students  how  to  think  and  express  them- 
selves on  their  feet.  This  would  seem  to 
apply  particularly  to  young  men  who  have  in 
mind  public  life  as  their  future. " 

'"Answering  your  favor  of  the  5th  inst. 
just  received,  I  would  say  that,  according  to 
my  judgment,  the  prime  object  of  a  college 
training  is  to  develop  those  tastes  for  the 

'  Quoted  from  the  letter  of  the  Hon.  Henry  G.  Danforth, 
M.C. 

*  This  letter  from  the  Hon.  Marcus  M.  Marks,  President 
of  the  Borough  of  Manhattan,  is  quoted  in  full. 


12  Aims  and  Defects  of 

higher  things  in  life  which  shall  give  the 
greatest  resources  for  true  living.  By  true 
living,  I  mean  getting  the  best  out  of  life, 
the  keenest  enjoyment  of  literature,  art, 
music,  and  contact  with  other  human  beings 
of  the  best  kind. 

"  Natiu-ally,  students  should  be  prepared  in 
a  way  not  only  to  live,  but  to  make  a  living, 
and  in  the  last  year  of  the  college  course  their 
minds  might  be  directed  to  those  channels  of 
human  activity  in  which  they  would  be  most 
likely  to  be  successful.  In  order  to  accom- 
plish this,  a  trained  psychologist,  two  or  three 
teachers,  and  a  practical  man  of  affairs  might 
well  constitute  a  committee  for  vocational 
guidance ;  this  committee  to  study  the  young 
men  from  their  freshman  year  up,  and,  at 
the  end  of  the  junior  year,  advise  with  them 
regarding  their  particular  talents.  Many 
young  men  might  thus  be  saved  from  mis- 
direction and  the  consequent  loss  of  time  and 
courage  which  follows  so  often  from  trying 
to  fit  a  'square  peg  into  a  round  hole. ' " 

In  an  address  delivered  before  the  Phi 
Beta  Kappa  Society  of  this  College  in 


College  Education  13 

June,  1914,  the  Hon.  George  McAneny, 
President  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  of 
New  York  City,  expressed  himself  as 
follows: 

"The  man  who  shirks  his  duty  as  a  voter, 
and  as  a  factor,  therefore,  in  the  system  of 
democratic  government  that  is  our  pride  and 
hope,  deserves  but  Httle  of  democracy.  The 
man  who,  having  gained  superior  equipment 
and  training,  through  college  or  imiversity, 
fails  to  give  in  even  larger  degree  his  meed 
of  service  to  the  State,  will  rarely  receive 
the  plaudits  of  his  fellows,  and  may  never 
claim  justly  that  his  full  duty  has  been 
done." 

Next  follow  the  opinions  of  some  prom- 
inent educators,  whose  views  are  derived 
from  immediate  experience  and  observa- 
tion of  college  activities,  and  who  speak 
with  the  authority  of  those  familiar  with 
college  problems  from  the  inside. 

President  Van  Hise  of  the  University 
of   Wisconsin   in   an   address   delivered 


14  Aims  and  Defects  of 

several  years  ago  concerning  "The  Place 
of  the  College  in  Education, "  says: 

"It  seems  to  me  that  the  place  of  the  col- 
lege can  be  no  better  designated  than  by  the 
phrase  which  is  frequently  connected  with  it, 
liberal  arts.  According  to  Murray,  liberal  arts 
are  'certain  branches  of  learning  or  apparatus 
for  more  advanced  studies,  or  for  the  work 
of  life.'  They  are  'directed  to  general  in- 
tellectual enlargement  and  refinement,  not 
narrowly  restricted  to  the  requirements  of 
technical  or  professional  training.' 

"While  in  the  middle  ages  the  field  of  the 
college  of  liberal  arts  was  very  narrow,  in 
modem  times  it  has  rapidly  extended  to 
include  all  of  the  subjects  which  are  taught 
under  the  spirit  of  that  definition.  .  .  . 

"This  modem  college  recognizes  as  of 
equal  importance  to  mathematics  and  Latin 
and  Greek,  work  in  the  modem  languages. 
It  recognizes  of  equal  importance  with  the 
languages,  philosophy,  psychology,  political 
economy,  political  science,  history,  and  sociol- 
ogy, which  are  fundamental  in  the  education 
of  the  citizen  who  is  to  take  part  in  the 
government  of  the  nation.     It  recognizes  of 


College  Education  15 

equal  importance  with  each  of  these  groups, 
a  knowledge  of  the  sciences,  which  lies  at 
the  basis  of  all  of  the  material  advancement 
of  this  revolutionary  period.  Thus  the 
field  of  the  modern  college  is  at  least  three 
times  as  large  as  that  of  the  old-fashioned 
classical  college.  The  college  of  hberal  arts 
gives  a  most  effective  preliminary  training 
for  life  work.  Also  the  broadened  college 
of  liberal  arts  gives  its  students  an  oppor- 
tunity to  pursue  work  leading  to  professional 
studies.  If  the  student  plans  to  become  a 
minister,  or  a  lawyer,  he  may  give  a  large 
part  of  his  time  to  the  humanities.  If  he 
plans  to  become  a  physician,  or  an  engineer, 
or  an  agriculturalist,  he  may  give  the  major 
portion  of  his  time  to  the  sciences. " 

After  cautioning  colleges  against  at- 
tempting to  perform  the  work  properly 
belonging  to  technical  schools  and  the 
graduate  departments  of  universities,  he 
continues: 

"The  field  of  the  college  of  liberal  arts  is 
so  large  and  the  work  itself  is  of  such  superla- 
tive importance  that  any  institution  may 


i6  Aims  and  Defects  of 

feel  that  here  is  ample  opportunity  for  her 
full  resources.  By  concentrating  these  re- 
sources upon  this  work,  it  is  certain  that  more 
satisfactory  and  important  results  will  be  ob- 
tained by  doing  it  well  than  by  attempting  to 
cover  a  larger  part  of  the  field  of  advanced 
education,  when  so  doing  will  certainly  in- 
volve unsatisfactory  results  throughout. " 

*  "In  reply  to  your  inquiry  as  to  the  traits 
of  character  that  should  be  developed  by 
college  training  to  make  students  efficient 
and  useful,  let  me  say  that  there  are  three 
things  which  I  regard  as  of  great  importance : 
first,  to  have  the  student  understand  that 
the  time  in  which  he  is  living  is  related  to 
the  long  past  of  human  history  so  that  his 
respect  and  sympathy  for  the  work  and 
thoughts  of  men  will  be  great;  second,  that 
he  may  know  also  how  to  discern  what  is 
valuable  in  the  Hfe  of  his  own  time  as  judged 
by  the  standards  of  value  which  have  been 
established  out  of  the  past;  and  third,  that 
he  shall  have  a  sense  of  moral  or  spiritual 
values  to  control  his  judgment. 

'  This  letter  from  Eugene  A.  Noble,  LL.D.,  President 
of  Dickinson  College,  is  quoted  in  full. 


College  Education  17 

"One  of  the  ways  in  which  present-day 
college  education  fails  to  realize  its  objective 
is  that  so  much  emphasis  is  put  upon  the 
mercenary  standards  of  commonplace  men." 

''"In  reply  to  question  one,  let  me  say 
that  the  traits  of  character  which  the  college 
should  aim  to  develop  are  uprightness  and 
unselfishness.  Our  educational  institutions 
should  endeavor  to  impress  upon  young  men 
the  necessity  of  effort  for  the  community  and 
for  society,  rather  than  for  personal  ends. 
The  trait  of  mind  which  the  college  should 
develop  is  the  ability  to  think  clearly  and 
conclude  logically.  Many  of  the  troubles  in 
modern  commercial  and  professional  life  are 
due  to  lack  of  ability  to  think  straight  and  to 
act  accordingly. 

"In  answer  to  question  two  I  may  say  that 
I  am  less  pessimistic  than  many  who  are 
constantly  criticizing  our  educational  in- 
stitutions. In  my  judgment,  a  great  many 
of  our  colleges  are  very  successful  in  giving 
men  the  sort  of  training  which  makes  them 
useful  and  efficient  citizens,  and  there  is,  I 

'  This  letter  from  Professor  Frederick  S.  Jones,  LL.D., 
Dean  of  Yale  College,  is  quoted  in  full. 


1 8  Aims  and  Defects  of 

believe,  a  realization  on  the  part  of  our  col- 
lege students  that  the  educated  man  has 
something  more  before  him  than  mere  selfish 
effort  for  personal  advancement  and  emolu- 
ment; that  public  service  is  the  real  object 
which  the  college-bred  man  should  have  in 
view.  I  find  a  great  many  students  who  are 
serious  in  their  desire  to  do  their  college  work 
with  the  object  of  training  themselves  for  this 
sort  of  life." 

*  "Generally  I  would  say  that  the  impor- 
tant thing  is  to  emphasize  character  rather 
than  mere  knowledge.  As  you  may  know 
I  was  for  25  years  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States  Government.  The  positions  held  by 
me  required  the  selection  and  appointment 
of  a  large  number  of  men,  many  for  impor- 
tant positions.  I  and  my  colleagues  always 
sought  to  find  men  of  character  rather  than 
technical  attainments.  In  nine  cases  out  of 
ten  a  man  has  to  learn  his  work  after  entering 
upon  it.  By  character  I  mean  the  qualities 
of    reliability,    thoroughness,    conscientious 

*  Quoted  from  the  letter  of  Professor  W.  F.  Willoughby, 
of  the  Department  of  History,  Politics,  and  Economics, 
Princeton  University. 


College  Education  19 

effort,  etc.  These  are  the  men  who  win  pro- 
motion. The  University  should  seek  to 
impress  upon  the  student  the  desirability  of 
studying  all  his  subjects  critically,  of  deter- 
mining for  himself  the  reasons,  and  above  all 
of  expressing  himself  orally  and  in  writing 
directly  and  clearly.  I  think  too  that  every 
effort  should  be  made  to  have  the  students 
use  the  information  acquired  by  them. 
They  should  be  made  to  see  the  actual  utility 
of  their  studies  as  far  as  possible. " 

"I  think  that  too  much  attention  is  given 
to  subjects  the  usefulness  of  which  is  not 
apparent  to  the  student.  I  believe  it  is  quite 
possible  to  secure  training  in  connection  with 
subjects  that  will  have  their  utility  after  a 
student  leaves  the  college." 

^  "The  traits  of  character  and  mind  which 
a  college  should  aim  to  give  its  students 
are:  intelligence,  efficiency,  initiative,  deep 
feeling,  earnestness,  and  courage.  I  should 
say  that  most  colleges  fail  to  develop  suf- 
ficiently the  last  four  of  these  character- 
istics. " 

'  Quoted  from  the  letter  of  Professor  Irving  Fisher,  of  the 
Department  of  Political  Economy,  Yale  University. 


20  Aims  and  Defects  of 

*  "As  to  ways  in  which  colleges  fail,  I 
should  suppose  that  the  most  conspicuous 
one  was  in  using  university  methods  too 
much  and  school  methods  too  little.  It  is 
too  easy  for  a  student  to  get  through  college 
and  escape  the  necessity  of  getting  informa- 
tion." 

The  following  group  of  comments  are 
from  professional  men,  several  of  whom 
are  also  engaged  in  technical  education. 

'"The  college  aims  to  develop  whatever 
traits  of  character  and  mind  every  gentleman 
and  Christian  should  have;  the  qualities 
adapted  to  make  for  usefulness  and  efficiency 
in  modem  life  being  just  the  same  as  ever. " 

"A  college  education,  as  far  as  I  can  obtain 
an  impression  nowadays,  fails  to  cultivate 
sufficiently  (i)  the  habit  of  accuracy  and 
detail,  (2)  a  serious  persistency  in  meeting 

'  Quoted  from  the  letter  of  Professor  John  B.  Clark  of 
the  Division  of  Economics  and  History,  New  York  Uni- 
versity, and  of  the  Carnegie  Endowment  for  International 
Peace. 

» This  letter  from  Professor  John  H.  Wigmore,  LL.D^ 
Dean  of  Northwestern  University  School  of  Law,  is 
quoted  in  full. 


College  Education  21 

hard  work,  (3)  and  a  general  enthusiasm  for 
self-cultivation.  I  can  explain  this  by  saying 
that  I  attribute  these  lacks  partly  to  the 
modem  theory  of  education  which  empha- 
sizes the  advantage  of  the  student  Uking  his 
task,  and  the  greater  official  recognition  of 
athletics  and  social  activities." 

"^  ^  "I  have  given  a  good  deal  of  thought  at 
different  times  to  what  should  constitute  pre- 
paration for  the  engineering  profession.  In 
view  of  the  tendency  of  the  times  to  specializa- 
tion I  think  there  is  a  general  impression  that 
young  men  should  begin  training  for  their; 
specialty  as  early  as  possible.  This  I  think 
is  a  mistake,  my  personal  belief  being  that 
there  is  no  better  preparation  for  engineering 
than  that  obtained  in  a  literary  or  classical 
college. 

"The  engineer's  work  in  the  future,  as  I  see 
it,  is  going  to  be  very  different  from  that  in 
the  past.  The  problems  to  be  solved  will  be 
different  in  that  they  will  embrace  questions 
of  profound  importance  to  the  welfare  of  this 

'  Quoted  from  the  letter  of  Professor  Mortimer  E. 
Cooley,  Dean  of  the  Department  of  Engineering  of  Michi- 
gan University. 


22  Aims  and  Defects  of 

country.  The  civilization  of  our  day  is  made 
possible  largely  through  the  work  of  engineers. 
It  might  be  said  to  be  an  engineer's  age. 

"The  engineer  of  the  future,  to  be  most 
effective,  must  be  a  broadly  trained  man  and 
I  can  imagine  nothing  better  as  a  preparation 
than  such  a  training  as  can  be  furnished  by 
Hobart  and  other  colleges  of  the  same  order, 
preparatory  to  the  technical  training. 

"Answering  your  two  questions  more 
specifically,  I  would  say  that  the  traits  of 
character  and  mind  to  be  developed  in  col- 
lege should  be  those  which  train  the  mind  to 
study  and  reason  and  to  act  independently. 
It  should  develop  in  the  student  self-reliance 
in  the  largest  possible  measure.  One  ideal 
is  conveyed  to  my  mind  by  the  story  of 
'Carrying  a  Message  to  Garcia.* 

"  I  do  not  myself  think  that  the  present 
college  education  fails  to  give  students  the 
kind  of  training  they  need.  I  think  it  would 
be  a  serious  mistake  for  the  small  college  to 
narrow  its  training  with  a  view  to  making 
specialists.  I  think  the  present  tendency 
manifested  in  the  high  schools  is  altogether 
uncommendable,  in  that  it  has  for  its  main 
object  the  preparation  of  students  to  earn 


College  Education  23 

money.  While  it  is  necessary  to  earn  money, 
good  citizenship  is  now,  as  it  always  has  been, 
even  more  important.  What  we  need  in 
America  more  than  anything  else  is  good 
citizenship  and  the  qualities  of  heart  and 
mind  offsetting  the  marked  trend  towards 
that  end  of  socialism  bordering  on  anarchy. 
We  as  a  people  need  to  get  back  on  an  even 
keel  and  to  develop  in  our  hearts  more  of  the 
jr.  love  of  country,  less  of  the  love  of  self.  We 
need  sane  people  and  our  leaders  should  have 
a  training  commanding  the  respect  of  those 
who  follow  them.  Our  small  colleges,  with 
the  opportunity  for  personal  contact  with 
professors  and  the  general  training  w^hich  can 
be  given  in  the  smaller  colleges,  can  do  vastly 
good  work  in  bringing  about  this  condition." 

*  "I  fear  I  should  have  to  write  a  book  to 
answer  properly  your  questions  about  a 
college.  In  this  letter  I  can  only  give  you  a 
hint  as  to  what  I  would  seek  to  accomplish 
if  I  were  an  educational  czar. 

"I  think  a  college  fails  in  its  mission  if  it 

^  This  letter  from  Professor  Joseph  F.  Johnson,  Dean  of 
the  School  of  Commerce,  New  York  University,  is  quoted 
in  full. 


24  Aims  and  Defects  of 

does  not  aim  to  make  its  students  think 
clearly  and  independently.  I  will  not  say 
that  this  is  the  highest  aim,  but  it  certainly 
ranks  among  those  of  first  importance. 
Muddled  thinking  is  responsible  for  many 
social  and  economic  ills. 

"A  college  should  aim  to  develop  in  its 
students  a  sense  of  personal  responsibility. 
This  it  can  do  only  by  holding  them  strictly 
to  the  full  performance  of  their  duties.  Col- 
lege students  should  be  treated  as  men,  not 
as  boys. 

"A  college  should  make  its  students  work 
hard  and  regularly.  There  should  be  no 
easy  courses  nor  easy  professors.  Hard 
work  that  cannot  be  shirked,  and  that  keeps 
a  man  busy  at  least  eight  hours  a  day,  is 
the  only  character  builder  that  I  place  any 
reliance  upon. 

"Finally,  college  men  should  be  taught 
the  supreme  value  in  life,  especially  in  busi- 
ness, of  promptness,  punctuality,  resourceful- 
ness, and  grit. 

"I  will  not  venture  to  discuss  your  second 
question,  for  I  know  too  httle  about  what 
colleges  are  doing  to  have  an  opinion  as  to 
whether  they  are  really  failing  or  not.     I 


College  Education  25 

meet  many  recent  college  graduates,  how- 
ever, and  many  of  them  certainly  do  lack  the 
qualities  which  their  colleges  should  have 
aimed  to  give  them.  That  does  not  prove,  of 
course,  that  the  colleges  have  failed  in  their 
duty,  for  the  factor  of  heredity  is  one  that 
cannot  be  ignored. 

"Permit  me  to  express  an  opinion  on  a 
point  you  do  not  raise.  I  believe  colleges 
should  give  much  more  attention  than  at 
present  to  the  vocational  needs  of  their 
students.  Now  a  college  graduate  can  earn 
a  living  only  by  teaching  school.  From  one 
point  of  view,  therefore,  a  college  may  be 
regarded  as  a  vocational  institution.  I 
would  have  shorthand  and  bookkeeping 
taught  in  every  college.  I  would  have  the 
director  of  athletics  give  courses  and  training 
which  would  fit  a  man  to  train  others  in 
athletics  and  physical  culture.  But  you 
don't  ask  me  to  write  about  this  subject; 
so  I  will  not  make  further  suggestions." 

*  "I  think  that  the  traits  of  character  and 
mind  that  the  college  should  aim  to  develop 

'  Quoted  from  the  letter  of  Professor  J.  W.  Jenks  of  the 
School  of  Commerce,  New  York  University. 


26  Aims  and  Defects  of 

in  its  students  to  make  them  useful  and 
efficient  are : 

"  (i)  Trustworthiness. 
"  (2)  Power  of  reasoning. 
"  (3)  Exactness. 
"  (4)  DiHgence. 
"(5)  PunctuaHty. 
•*  (6)  Tolerance." 

^  "The  average  college  graduate  lacks  an 
appreciation  of  things  generally,  [including] 
a  lack  of  respect  for  the  men  lower  down, 
the  working  man  generally.  The  trend  of 
college  education  is  away  from  simplicity  in 
the  conduct  of  affairs  and  the  object  of  edu- 
cation should  be  to  teach  men  to  devote  their 
attention  to  essentials  rather  than  details. " 

"In  reply  to  your  second  question,  as  to 
the  ways  in  which  college  education  fails,  a 
particular  failure  is  in  the  matter  of  training 
students  to  express  themselves  orally  on  their 
feet  before  others  in  a  clear,  concise,  and 
forceful  manner.    The  average  college  grad- 

'  Quoted  from  the  letter  of  Calvin  W.  Rice,  Secretary 
of  the  American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers. 


College  Education  27 

uate  is  embarrassed  when  required  to  give 
even  a  simple  talk  in  a  meeting." 

^  "To  your  first  query  as  to  what  traits 
of  character  and  mind  a  college  should  aim  to 
develop  in  its  students  to  make  them  useful 
and  efficient  in  modern  life  I  would  reply  that 
a  thorough  determination  inculcated  into 
each  student  to  form  the  habit  in  all  his 
relations  to  ^own  up,  pay  up,  and  shut  up' 
will  be  the  greatest  heritage  any  university 
can  give  to  its  students. 

"Your  second  question,  namely,  'In  what 
way  does  present  college  education  fail  in 
giving  students  training  it  is  able  to  give?' 
It  has  seemed  to  me  that  perhaps  a  lack  of  self- 
reliance  and  a  tendency  to  rely  on  their 
degrees  to  keep  them  in  their  jobs  is  the 
greatest  weakness  of  recent  graduates." 

The  next  group  of  suggestions  and  criti- 
cisms come  from  prominent  journalists: 

*  "  Probably  the  weakest  thing  in  otir  whole 
system  of  education,  from  the  public  school 

'  Quoted  from  the  letter  of  Edwin  B.  Katte,   Chief 
Engineer  Electrical  Traction  of  the  New  York  Central. 
•  Quoted  from  an  editorial  by  W.  P.  Hamilton,  of  the 


aS  Aims  and  Defects  of 

up,  is  that  we  teach  the  pupil  to  value  the 
superficial  thing  taught,  and  not  what  is  the 
whole  end  and  aim  of  education,  the  discipline 
of  learning. 

"This  is  the  suicidal  foolery  which  sends 
'gunmen, '  with  public  and  high-school  educa- 
tions, to  the  death-chair,  alas,  all  too  infre- 
quently !  Our  teachers  are  supposed  to  make 
lessons  pleasant  and  easy.  Learning  may  be 
pleasant  to  the  willing  learner,  but  it  is  never 
easy. 

"  Other  things  being  equal,  this  newspaper 
prefers  to  employ  college  graduates;  and  it 
has  had  many  of  them  through  its  hands  in 
the  lengthening  years  of  its  existence.  It 
takes  that  sort  of  reporter  about  a  year  to 
forget  his  diploma.  By  that  time  he  is  either 
a  newspaper  man,  or  he  leaves,  because  he  will 
never  be  one.  In  about  three  years,  if  he 
can  stand  the  pace,  he  may  discover  that  he 
actually  acquired  something  at  college.  That 
something  was  the  discipline  of  learning. 

"  If  his  diploma  is  worth  anything,  it  should 
show  that  he  has  had  developed  by  his 
teachers  the  indispensable  power  of  concen- 

Wall  Street  Journal,  concerning  our  letter  of  inquiry. 
The  editorial  appeared  in  the  issue  of  April  15,  1914. 


College  Education  29 

tration  without  which  there  is  no  success. 
Unless  he  adopts  some  profession  involving 
technical  requirements,  there  is  nothing  else 
a  college  can  teach  him  that  he  cannot  teach 
himself.  The  world  will  make  him  learn  it, 
or  kill  him. 

"This  ought  to  indicate  clearly  enough  how 
our  colleges  fall  down.  The  problem  is  a 
psychological  one,  and  not  one  of  pedagogy. 
The  training  our  college  students  need  is  one 
that  inculcates  the  lifelong  value  of  hard,  but 
intelligent,  work. " 

*  "You  ask  me  for  my  opinion  about  the 
traits  of  character  and  mind  a  college  should 
aim  to  develop.  I  should  say  that  the  prime 
thing  a  college  should  teach  a  boy  or  girl  is  a 
loyal  love  of  the  truth  and  a  capacity  to  find 
it  out.  If  the  college  does  not  develop  these 
traits,  no  matter  how  much  polish  it  puts 
upon  the  mind  or  heart  it  is  not  very  much 
worth  while.  The  present  college  education, 
I  should  say,  does  not  fail  to  give  students 
training.  I  should  say  that  life  before  they 
come  to  college  fails  to  give  them  capacity 

»  This  letter  from  W.  A.  White,  of  the  Emporia  Gazetttf 
is  quoted  in  full. 


30  Aims  and  Defects  of 

for  taking  things  in,  and  any  failure  is  not 
perhaps  the  fault  of  a  college  but  the  fault  of 
the  early  adolescent  environment." 

'"Public  service  and  leadership  are  the 
traits  of  character  that  most  need  develop- 
ment, and  the  ability  to  think  is  the  most 
important  trait  of  the  mind  to  be  developed. 
Mere  memorizing  is  of  Httle  value.  [In  the 
opinion  of  this  gentleman  the  college  fails  in 
giving  training  it  is  able  to  give.]  By  not 
having  the  professors  work  with  the  students 
in  working  hours.  If  the  spirit  of  the  foot- 
ball coach  was  introduced  into  the  classroom, 
the  problem  of  modem  education  would  be 
solved.  The  football  coach  is  infinitely  more 
severe  with  his  pupils,  but  at  the  same  time  he 
treats  them,  man  to  man,  as  equals.  A  profes- 
sor is  lenient  with  students'  mistakes,  but  he 
sits  upon  a  pulpit  and  treats  them  as  inferiors. 

**  Let  the  professor  learn  from  the  coach. " 

'  "I  cannot  think  of  any  desirable  trait  of 
character  or  mind  which  a  college  should  not 

'Quoted  from  the  letter  of  Hamilton  W.  Holt,  of  the 
Independent. 

"Quoted  from  the  letter  of  Ernest  H.  Abbott  of  the 
Outlook. 


College  Education  31 

tend  to  develop  in  its  students;  but,  natu- 
rally, emphasis  should  be  placed  upon  those 
traits  which  need  development  at  the  particu- 
lar stage  of  growth  at  which  the  student  has 
arrived  when  he  is  at  college. 

"The  period  from  seventeen  to  twenty-four 
years  of  age  seems  to  me  to  be  particularly  one 
in  which  the  individual  is  ready  for  training 
in  self-reliance  and  independence  of  character 
and  mental  freedom.  It  is  the  period  of 
individualism. 

"It  does  not  seem  to  me  that  it  matters  so 
much  exactly  what  the  student  learns  as 
how  thoroughly  and  accurately  and  efficiently 
he  makes  use  of  the  resources  of  the  college. 

"It  seems  to  me  that  there  are  several  grave 
defects  common  to  most  colleges: 

"  (i)  The  slipshod  and  superficial  work  done 
for  the  purpose  of  *  getting  by.  * 

"(2)  Lack  of  coordination  between  what 
is  called  the  humanities  and  what  is  called 
vocational  training. 

"(3)  The  failure  of  the  members  of  the 
faculty  and  instructors  to  use  their  oppor- 
tunities for  molding  and  determining  under- 
graduate tradition,  which  is  probably  the 
greatest  single  educative  force  in  any  college. 


32  Aims  and  Defects  of 

This  lack  becomes  conspicuous  when  com- 
pared with  the  way  in  which  EngHsh  univer- 
sity tradition  has  been  built  up.  It  may  be 
illustrated,  by  way  of  contrast,  by  the  citation 
of  certain  specific  instances  where  faculty 
members  have  done  a  great  deal  to  mold 
tradition.  One  example  of  this  has  been  the 
influence  of  Dr.  Spaeth  at  Princeton. 

"(4)  The  growth  of  false  and  materiaHstic 
standards  in  college  life.  This  is,  perhaps,  a 
natural,  though  I  believe  an  avoidable,  se- 
quence to  the  general  advance  in  material 
comfort  characteristic  of  these  days.  It 
emphasizes,  however,  the  advantages  of 
money  and  things  that  money  will  buy. 

"You  will  notice  I  do  not  mention  the 
athletic  influence.  It  is  because  I  believe 
that  on  the  whole  athletics  have  vastly 
improved  in  the  twenty  years  since  I  was  in 
college,  and  have  been  of  great  educational 
value." 

'  "I  believe  that  a  college  education,  using 
the  term  in  its  distinct  acceptance,  should  be 
dedicated  to  the  cultivation  of  the  mind  and 

'  Quoted  from  the  letter  of  the  Hon.  Charles  E.  Fitch, 
formerly  of  the  Rochester  Democrat  and  Chronicle. 


College  Education  33 

the  building  of  character  as  preliminary  to  and 
preparatory  for  the  university  curriculum, 
whether  the  latter  embraces  either  the  higher 
ranges  of  the  sciences,  or  merely  utilitarian 
studies.  In  other  words,  I  would  preserve 
the  integrity  of  the  American  college,  as  illus- 
trated in  the  personalities  of  Mark  Hopkins, 
Francis  Wayland,  and  EHphalet  Nott. 

"I  have  no  sympathy  with  the  assumption 
that  a  college  education  is  a  mere  matter  of 
commerce — so  much  instruction  for  so  much 
money — a  favorite  theory  of  some  of  the 
chief  exponents  of  what  for  the  lack  of  a  better 
term  they  are  pleased  to  call  *  the  new  educa- 
tion. ' 

"  Character  building  should  be  the  chief 
object  to  be  regarded;  that  secured  the 
secondary  objects  will  take  care  of  themselves. 

"  From  the  college,  the  vast  range  of  elec- 
tive, elastic  courses  should  be  eliminated, 
and  a  return  to  former  schemes  in  every 
way  fostered,  compulsory  courses  obtaining 
at  least  to  the  end^of  the  Sophomore  year." 


The  following  contribution  was  received 
from  a  very  well-known  Socialist: 


34  Aims  and  Defects  of 

^  "The  fact  that  the  common  mass  of 
workers  are  making  possible  his  education  by 
their  labor  in  supplying  him  with  the  basic 
necessities  of  life — food,  shelter,  and  clothing 
— should  be  simk  deep  in  the  consciousness  of 
every  student.  A  lively  awareness  of  this 
fact  is  necessary  to  a  proper  social  and  co- 
operative spirit  in  men  receiving  educational 
opportunities  withheld  from  the  mass.  To 
this  end  the  newer  economics,  which  tells  the 
whole  truth  about  sources  of  wealth,  organ- 
ization of  industry,  distribution  of  wealth, 
etc.,  must  be  taught  in  our  colleges. 

"To  my  mind  character  is  best  and  most 
fully  developed  in  the  individual  inspired 
with  big  social  ideals.  Individual  character 
grows  with  the  growth  of  these  social  ideals 
that  give  the  larger  outlook  on  life,  a  thirst 
for  human  unity,  and  cause  one  to  strive  for 
social  and  economic  justice.  This  requires 
close  and  intimate  knowledge  of  the  com- 
mon life,  which  in  turn  requires  not  aca- 
demic study  and  discussion  only,  but  actual 
contact. 

"I  am  not  of  course  trying  to  answer  your 

'  This  letter  from  Mrs.  Rose  Pastor  Stokes,  Socialist, 
is  quoted  in  full. 


College  Education  35 

question  as  fully  as  it  deserves  to  be  answered. 
Having  time  for  but  very  brief  discussion  I 
take  this  opportunity  your  question  offers 
to  make  this  brief  suggestion.  I  have  found 
what  seemed  to  me  a  lack  of  proper  sense  of 
social  obligation  in  the  college  student  and, 
not  infrequently,  an  arrogance  and  an  absence 
of  human  sympathy  that  can  be  born  only  of 
ignorance  of  fundamental  social-economic 
truths — an  ignorance  which  every  true  edu- 
cator should  strive  to  dispel. " 

The  comments  of  financiers  and  busi- 
ness men  constitute  the  following  group. 
All  of  the  men  quoted  occupy  positions 
of  great  responsibility  in  their  firms,  and 
several  of  them  are  leaders  in  the  com- 
mercial life  of  the  country. 

*  "There  are  fundamental  traits  of  char- 
acter which  should  be  developed,  such  as 
concentration,  habits  of  mental  discipline 
which  lead  to  careful  work,  acciurate  thinking 

'  Quoted  from  the  letter  of  J.  G.  Schmidlapp,  of  Cin- 
cinnati. 


36  Aims  and  Defects  of 

and  keen  penetration,  and  above  all,  as  most 
of  our  students  are  reared  to-day,  teach  them 
economy.  I  have  often  said  that  I  would 
rather  my  boys  would  leam  economy  than 
to  leam  the  multiplication  table,  for  I  believe 
they  would  get  more  happiness  out  of  the  one 
than  out  of  the  other.  With  these  traits 
developed  more  of  our  young  men  would  have 
the  power  of  leadership,  and  they  would 
eventually  lead  to  administrative  qualifica- 
tions now  so  rare. 

"One  of  the  weaknesses,  to  my  mind,  in 
present  college  training  is  that  the  practical 
is  not  used  more  in  line  with  the  theoretical, 
therefore  we  do  not  develop  the  traits  of 
character  that  I  have  referred  to.  From 
my  own  experience  as  a  member  of  the  Visit- 
ing Board  at  West  Point  at  one  time,  and 
from  the  information  that  I  have  gained 
through  the  development  of  college  students, 
I  strongly  favor  the  compulsory  course  in- 
stead of  the  elective  course  of  study.  After 
a  lifetime's  experience  I  have  foimd  the  best 
recommendation  a  young  man  can  have  in 
entering  business  life  is  that  he  can  save 
something  from  his  income  no  matter  how 
small  it  is." 


College  Education  Z7 

*  "As  to  the  traits  of  character  and  mind 
which  a  college  should  aim  to  develop,  there 
are,  of  course,  a  large  number  of  these. 
Some  of  them  are  the  common  virtues,  but 
there  is  one  thing  above  all  others  that  needs 
particular  attention.  It  is  initiative.  In 
my  experience,  I  find  a  great  shortcoming 
among  the  college  men  in  our  employ  is  their 
failure  to  go  ahead.  They  can  take  problems 
and  think  them  out  and  they  can  perform 
competently,  but  one  thing  seems  to  be 
trained  out  of  them  and  that  is  initiative 
and  leadership  to  go  ahead  on  their  own 
responsibility. 

"According  to  my  own  observation,  almost 
the  only  advantage  that  the  man  who  has  not 
gone  to  college  has  over  the  college  man  is 
that  the  former  does  not  know  about  so 
many  things  that  cannot  be  done  as  the  latter, 
and  frequently,  therefore,  he  goes  ahead  and 
does  them.  Science  teaches  us  the  futility 
of  striving  for  perpetual  motion  and  other 
impossibilities  but  it  seems  as  though  too 
many  of  the  college  trained  men  become  im- 
bued with  the  spirit  of  assuming  that  there 

^  This  letter  from  William  H.  Ingersoll,  of  the  IngersoU 
Watch  Co.,  is  quoted  in  full. 


38  Aims  and  Defects  of 

are   too   many    things   in   the   category   of 
perpetual  motion. 

"You  ask  also  about  the  ways  in  which  a 
college  education  now  fails  to  give  students 
the  training  that  it  ought  to  give.  I  have 
not  much  to  say  about  this,  but  in  the 
business  world,  we  are  discovering  that  there 
is  a  new  science  known  as  'management.' 
The  capacity  to  take  the  materials  and  the 
conditions  at  hand  and  utilize  them  for  the  at- 
tainment of  a  purpose  is  something  that  the 
college  could  well  give  attention  to  instead  of 
stopping  with  giving  many  important  sciences 
in  detached  form  but  without  showing  the 
student  how  to  utilize  his  own  powers  in  order 
to  get  the  most  out  of  what  he  has  learned." 

*"It  is  apparent  that  many  young  men 
applying  for  situations  object  to  places 
where  regular  and  constant  service  is  required 
and  where  no  ball  games  or  athletic  sports 
interfere  with  regular  hours. 

"The  boys  should  be  taught  that  improve- 
ment of  the  mind  should  not  have  second 
place  to  improvement  of  legs  and  arms. 

'  Quoted  from  the  letter  of  Rufus  A.  Sibley,  of  Sibley, 
Lindsey  &  Curr  Co.,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 


College  Education  39 

"I  think  a  definite  purpose  in  life — Indus- 
try and  Economy,  Integrity  and  Sincerity — 
will  bring  reward  where  the  object  in  life 
has  any  promise  of  future  usefulness  to 
society. 

"You  will  observe  I  have  but  little  use  for 
Fads  or  Professional  Reformers." 

*"  Colleges  should  aim  to  develop  the 
individual  along  broad  lines  rather  than  to 
concentrate  on  definite  instruction.  Char- 
acter should  be  developed  to  its  highest 
possibility.  It  is  necessary,  of  course,  to 
teach  certain  specialized  knowledge  but  I 
believe  this  should  be  secondary.  This 
criticism,  however,  applies  more  to  the  public 
schools  than  to  colleges.  If  the  public  schools 
would  concentrate  more  on  the  development 
of  character  and  cultural  processes,  the  col- 
leges would  find  their  work  easier  and  while 
it  would  be  necessary  for  the  colleges  to 
continue  the  development  of  character,  they 
would  be  able  to  give  more  attention  to 
specialized  knowledge. 

'  Quoted  from  the  letter  of  F.  C.  Henderschott,  of  the 
New  York  Edison  Co.,  Executive  Secretary  of  the  National 
Association  of  Corporation  Schools. 


40  Aims  and  Defects  of 

"Your  second  question  is  so  broad  that  it 
would  involve  a  preparation  of  a  modem  col- 
lege course.  So  many  new  things  have  come 
into  the  world  during  the  past  twenty-five 
years  that  it  is  becoming  apparent  specializa- 
tion is,  and  will  continue  to  be,  a  necessity, 
yet  we  must  not  overlook  a  broad  cultural 
training.  Specialization  should  apply  only 
to  definite  knowledge  or  knowledge  intended 
to  fit  one  for  a  definite  line  of  work.  When 
we  consider  how  very  few  of  the  boys  and 
girls  who  are  going  out  into  industrj'^  and  the 
professions  are  properly  trained  or  education- 
ally fit,  we  must  realize  that  there  is  room 
for  every  educational  institution  now  existing 
and  many  more  must  be  created." 

*  "Among  the  traits  of  character  and  mind 
essential  to  make  a  man  efficient  and  useful 
in  modem  life,  I  might  mention  the  following: 

"  (a)  A  genuine  desire  to  serve. 

"(b)  Industrious. 

"  (c)  Open  minded  and  teachable. 

"(d)  Ambitious. 

"(e)  Steady  and  trustworthy. 

*  Quoted  from  the  letter  of  Henry  T.  Noyes,  of  the 
German-American  Button  Co.,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 


College  Education  41 

*'(f)  Patient  (in  getting  results). 

"(g)  Thoroughness  and  accuracy. 

"Many  of  the  above  points  might  be 
covered  by  saying  that  he  should  have  the 
scientific  viewpoint  developed  to  a  strong 
degree.  Then  if  he  has  with  that  a  genuine 
unselfish  desire  to  serve,  I  believe  you  can  be 
reasonably  sure  of  turning  out  a  man  who  will 
be  useful  and  efficient. 

"As  to  the  weaknesses  of  our  present  col- 
leges I  would  respectfully  refer  you  to  an 
article  by  Lincoln  Steffens  in  Harper's  Weekly 
of  this  week  (April  11,  19 14)  on  this  very 
subject.  It  is  well  worthy  your  careful 
consideration. 

"In  addition,  however,  to  that  I  might  say 
this,  that  our  college  men  to-day  as  a  rule  do 
not  realize  at  all  as  they  should  their  obliga- 
tions to  society  because  of  the  opportunities 
they  have  enjoyed  for  education  and  develop- 
ment. Then  again  the  usual  college  man 
meets  the  world  with  a  '  know  it  all '  manner, 
and  thinks  he  can  go  out  and  do  things  just 
because  he  knows  it  all.  He  should  be  made 
to  realize  that  the  real  value  of  a  college 
education  lies  in  the  fact  that  he  should  be 
able,  because  of  his  training,  to  study  prob- 


42  Aims  and  Defects  of 

lems  thoroughly,  to  analyze  them  accurately, 
and  to  draw  logical  conclusions,  and  know 
where  to  find  special  knowledge,  etc. 

"A  college  education  fails  to  make  proper 
impression  on  the  usual  man  as  to  his  real 
responsibilities;  his  obligations,  if  you  please, 
to  his  employer;  the  importance  of  keeping 
his  word  strictly;  the  importance  of  being 
punctual,  etc." 

'  "Without  going  into  the  matter  to  any 
extent,  as  it  would  take  more  time  than  I 
could  give  to  answer  your  note  fully,  I  would 
say  that  honesty,  courage,  and  judgment  were 
the  three  points  which  are  essential  for  suc- 
cess, and  as  the  curriculum  at  college  only 
can  serve  as  a  training  school  for  judgment, 
the  rest  of  the  training  must  be  gathered 
through  personal  contact  and  general  environ- 
ment. It  is  here  that  the  usual  college 
educational  scheme  is  weak,  in  that  over 
emphasis  is  placed  on  the  thing  learned, 
whereas,  for  instance,  it  is  shown  in  the 
Montessori  method  for  children  that  it  should 
be  placed  on   the   manner  in    which   it   is 

'  Quoted  from  a  letter  from  W.  R.  Brown,  of  the  Berlin 
MiUsCo. 


College  Education  43 

learned.  In  other  words,  a  few  things  done 
accurately,  thoroughly,  independently,  and 
with  pleasure  are  of  much  greater  value  to 
the  student  than  a  large  amount  of  hetero- 
geneous knowledge  in  forming  for  efficient 
character." 

The  two  following  letters  with  which 
this  symposiiim  on  American  college 
education  closes  are  of  especial  interest. 
The  author  of  each  is  the  President  of  a 
great  financial  institution,  close  to  the 
summit  of  the  American  financial  world. 
The  letters  supplement  one  another;  the 
one  is  a  summary  of  the  defects,  the  other 
of  the  aims  of  college  education. 

'  "Your  questions  in  regard  to  traits  of 
character  and  mind  which  a  college  should 
aim  to  develop  for  modem  business  life  are 
extremely  important  and  pertinent. 

"  The  primary  defect  which  I  see  in  young 
college  men  to-day  is  lack  of  intensity  of 

'  This  letter  from  F.  A.  Vanderlip,  President  of  the 
National  City  Bank,  New  York  City,  is  quoted  in  full. 


44  Aims  and  Defects  of 

purpose  and  this  really  involves  the  defects 
of  procrastination  and  insufficient  power  of 
concentration.  I  doubt  if  in  the  present- 
day  college  course,  there  is  enough  mental 
discipline.  I  do  not  believe  in  hedging  the 
^tudent  about  with  so  many  requirements 
that  the  opportimity  for  developing  and 
expanding  individuality  is  restricted,  but  on 
the  other  hand,  I  am  firmly  against  so  much 
freedom  as  to  permit  going  along  the  path 
of  least  resistance,  and  developing  a  laissez- 
faire  attitude.  Of  course,  the  wise  middle 
course  is  what  we  are  striving  for  in  all  walks 
of  life.  I  should  say  at  the  present  time, 
however,  the  colleges  were  erring  on  the 
side  of  permitting  too  much  independent 
action.  In  business  there  must  be  strict 
discipline.  If  there  is  very  little  in  college, 
the  transition  is  too  great  for  the  young  man 
entering  into  his  vocation,  and  he  probably 
fails  to  do  himself  justice  during  the  time 
when  he  is  adjusting  himself  to  the  new 
conditions.  I  think  college  training  is  very 
excellent  in  that  it  creates  constructive 
imagination,  independent  thought,  and  self- 
reliance.  This  must,  however,  be  tempered 
by  the  very  wholesome  factor  of  judicious 


College  Education  45 

discipline,  which  will  produce  the  quality  of 
intense  application  which  is  so  necessary  in 
meeting  business  problems." 

'  "Trying  to  answer  the  queries  pro- 
pounded in  your  note  of  the  28th  inst.,  is  a 
good  deal  like  undertaking  to  point  out  the 
royal  road  to  success.  There  is  no  such  road, 
and  probably  there  is  no  adequate  answer  to 
your  queries.  I  assume  that  all  you  seek  is 
an  approximation. 

"The  character  that  a  college  should  try 
to  develop  in  its  students  is  an  all-around 
ability  to  use  such  powers  as  the  student  has, 
and  with  that  a  devotion — fanatical  if  you 
please — to  the  truth.  Existing  college  edu- 
cation largely  fails  to  give  this  kind  of  train- 
ing. It  fails  because  it  is  primarily  seeking 
all  kinds  of  short  cuts.  It  has  largely 
abandoned  the  old  idea  of  the  university  or 
college  training  and  has  substituted  voca- 
tional training.  The  cry  is  that  no  college 
education  is  worth  anything  that  doesn't  fit 
a  man  for  some  specific  thing  when  he  grad- 

*  This  letter  from  Darwin  P.  Kingsley,  President  of  the 
New  York  Life  Insurance  Company,  New  York  City,  is 
quoted  in  full. 


46    Defects  of  College  Education 

uates.  I  hold  that  to  be  an  utter  mistake. 
A  proper  college  education  does  not  fit  a 
man  for  any  specific  thing;  and  at  the  same 
time  it  fits  him  for  everything.  The  present 
college  education,  eagerly  seeking  the  Hne  of 
least  resistance  and  the  shortest  road  to  some 
technical  or  professional  eqmpment,  misses 
forever  with  such  students  the  time  when  a 
well-balanced  all-around  development  is  pos- 
sible. The  college  education  now  popular 
is  not  a  university  education  at  all.  It  is 
constantly  getting  narrower,  and  more  and 
more  fails  to  turn  out  men  with  an  all-aroimd 
equipment.  This  is  the  sort  of  equipment 
that  in  the  long  pull  of  life  lands  a  man  at  the 
top.  The  equipment  that  graduates  largely 
get  nowadays  probably  insures  some  early 
success  and  a  considerable  degree  of  useftil- 
ness,  but  it  doesn't  insure  the  success  that  a 
man  is  capable  of.  Such  education  has  its 
place,  and  it  is  a  very  large  place,  but  such 
education  falls  far  short  of  what  I  understand 
a  imiversity  training  to  be." 


PART  II 

RESULTS  AND  IMPLICATIONS 

'X'HE  comments  and  suggestions  con- 
tained in  the  above  letters  fall 
naturally  into  two  groups,  those  dealing 
with  particular  matters  of  college  training 
and  organization,  and  those  concerning 
general  matters  of  educational  policy. 
While  it  is  difficult  to  make  a  choice 
among  the  many  good  suggestions  we 
received  in  regard  to  particulars  of  college 
training,  the  three  following  are  men- 
tioned as  among  the  most  significant 
and  practical.  The  first,  because  it  was 
so  widely  advocated  by  those  connected 
with  social  and  political  activities.  The 
second  because,  apparently,  it  promised 
47 


48  Aims  and  Defects  of 

much  aid  and  comfort  to  both  faculty 
and  students,  who  unfortunately  are  not 
always  of  a  mutual  fit.  The  third  calls 
attention  to  an  aspect  of  college  life  of 
very  decided  importance,  which  stands 
in  danger  of  being  forgotten  amid  the 
increasing  complexity  of  the  machinery, 
and  because  of  the  immense  size,  of  many 
of  our  American  institutions  of  learning. 
Socialists,  Democrats,  and  Republicans 
alike  recommend  that  the  college  impart 
to  its  students  a  deeper  sense  of  the  duty 
of  public  service.  Each  of  these  widely 
different  political  groups  used  almost  the 
same  arguments,  to  the  effect  that  col- 
lege graduates,  having  enjoyed  special 
privileges  and  opportunities  provided  by 
the  community,  owed  in  unusual  meas- 
tire  service  to  the  State.  Curious  as  it 
may  be  to  find  representatives  of  such 
different  political  doctrines  united  on  the 
common  grotind  of  the  distinctly  aristo- 


College  Education  49 

cratic  sentiment  of  noblesse  oblige,  it  is 
encoiiraging  to  observe  such  unanimity, 
among  all  classes,  of  opinion  in  regard  to 
the  need  of  better  and  more  widely- 
educated  men  assuming  leadership  in 
public  affairs. 

Another  suggestion  of  good  promise  was 
that  each  college  organize  a  committee  on 
vocational  guidance,  to  aid  its  students 
in  making  wise  choices  of  future  occupa- 
tions. Commissions  of  vocational  guid- 
ance have  done  very  good  work  in  large 
business  and  manufacturing  establish- 
ments in  the  selection  of  employees  fitted 
by  temperament  and  individual  ability 
for  doing  certain  kinds  of  work.  It  would 
seem  that  the  same  methods  might  be 
applied  to  advantage  in  guiding  college 
students  to  choose  a  profession  or  occupa- 
tion suited  to  their  individual  tempera- 
ments and  abilities. 

As  a  special  defect  was  mentioned: 


50  Aims  and  Defects  of 

"The  failure  of  the  members  of  the  faculty 
and  instructors  to  use  their  opportunities  for 
molding  and  determining  undergraduate  tra- 
dition, which  is  probably  the  greatest  single 
educative  force  in  any  college.  This  lack 
becomes  conspicuous  when  compared  with  the 
way  in  which  English  university  tradition 
has  been  built  up." 

In  extenuation  it  might  be  urged,  that 
beside  the  political,  scientific,  and  literary 
traditions  which  have  arisen  in  the  course 
of  their  long  and  splendid  history,  the 
two  great  English  universities  are  com- 
posed of  small  colleges,  in  whose  buildings 
and  grounds  dons  and  students  read,  eat, 
and  live  together.  English  university 
life  thus  permits  greater  intellectual  and 
personal  association  than  is  possible  even 
in  our  small  colleges,  while  it  also  offers 
the  wider  outlook  and  more  significant 
relationships  with  the  great  world  to  be 
found  in  connection  with  important  uni- 
versities.    The  combination  of  these  ad- 


College  Education  51 

vantages  we  have  yet  to  obtain,  although 
many  of  our  institutions  of  higher  learn- 
ing have  very  excellent  undergraduate 
traditions,  which  decidedly  show  the 
influence  of  the  notable  men  of  the  past 
and  present  connected  with  their  faculties. 
In  other  words  we  need  the  Oxford 
system  in  America  both  in  our  larger 
separate  colleges,  and,  even  more  decid- 
edly, in  the  undergraduate  departments  of 
oxir  great  universities.  Or,  if  the  word 
Oxford  should  offend  the  taste  of  certain 
strenuously  hyphenated  individuals,  we 
need  some  form  of  college  organization 
which  shall  effectively  break  up  the  mob- 
system  of  college  education  now  generally 
in  vogue.  Some  more  human  and 
friendly  scheme  is  required  which  shall 
not  only  bring  students  and  faculty  in 
closer  touch,  but  also  bring  the  students 
themselves  in  more  intimate  contact, 
and  teach  different  kinds  of  individuals 


52  Aims  and  Defects  of 

to  know  and  appreciate  the  good  qualities 
of  one  another.  This  wotild  result  in 
what  some  light-thinking  but  enthusiastic 
individuals  would  be  pleased  to  call  "an 
increase  of  democracy  in  college."  I 
dislike  the  term  democracy,  which  is  a 
spell  used  by  demagogues  to  conjure  votes 
with,  and  has  now  so  far  lost  its  original 
signification  as  to  be  synonymous  with 
any  kind  of  reform  or  pseudo-reform  in 
politics  or  manners.  I  agree,  however, 
with  the  idea  which  perhaps  is  meant  by 
the  words  "increase  in  democracy,"  and 
believe  that  there  would  result  an  increase 
of  kindliness  and  mutual  appreciation  and 
respect,  more  knowledge  and  culture 
among  the  students,  and  an  increase  of 
humanity  and  young-heartedness  among 
the  faculty,  and,  above  all,  an  increased 
understanding  of  others,  which  would 
tend  to  produce  more  charitable  leaders 
of  a  Christian  society.'- 


College  Education  53 

Other  matters  well  worthy  of  consider- 
ation, such  as  the  desirability  of  develop- 
ing qualities  of  leadership,  executive 
ability,  accuracy,  etc.,  were  also  suggested, 
but  which  do  not  require  special  comment 
as  the  letters  speak  very  plainly  for  them- 
selves. 

In  regard  to  general  matters  of  educa- 
tional policy,  considering  the  latitude  of 
discussion  invited  by  the  questions,  and 
the  freedom  and  originality  expressed  in 
the  replies,  in  regard  to  two  matters  of 
prime  importance  the  consensus  of  opin- 
ion is  decisive.  The  one  matter  relates 
to  the  chief  aim,  the  other  to  perhaps 
the  worst  defect  of  college  education. 

The  defect  in  college  training  most 
often  condemned  is  lack  of  discipline,  or, 
as  it  was  expressed  by  one  man,  "slipshod 
and  superficial  work  done  for  the  purpose 
of  ' getting  by. '"  This  criticism  I  believe 
is  just,  although  the  fault  is  by  no  means 


54  Aims  and  Defects  of 

monopolized  by  college  students.  It  is 
sometimes  to  be  found  among  high  school 
graduates,  or  even  among  those  who  have 
had  merely  a  grammar  school  education. 
Such  faults  are  very  common  defects  of 
immaturity  and  inexperience,  and  thus 
often  appear  in  a  conspicuous  degree  in 
college  men  entering  business,  not  because 
they  have  been  in  college,  but  because, 
as  yet,  they  lack  the  special  training  which 
only  the  discipline  of  actual  business 
can  give.  The  marked  presence  of  such 
faults  in  college  graduates  indicates  neg- 
lect on  the  part  of  college  authorities  of 
the  many  opportunities  for  cultivating  a 
sense  of  responsibility  in  the  students, 
which  college  life  offers  both  within  and 
without  the  classroom.  The  removal  of 
this  reproach  from  college  training  might 
doubtless  be  accelerated  by  the  activities 
of  an  efficient  dean  and  "office,"  by  the 
enforcement  of  more  rigid  standards  of 


College  Education  55 

accuracy  and  scholarship,  and  by  an 
increased  demand  for  clearness  and  pre- 
cision in  written  work,  not  merely  in  the 
English  department,  but  in  all  depart- 
ments. Such  measures  would  go  far 
toward  curing  the  ' '  evils  of  slipshod  letter 
writing,"  and  eliminating  other  signs  of 
callowness  in  recent  college  graduates, 
concerning  which  there  is  much  reason 
for  complaint. 

In  regard  to  the  chief  aim  of  college 
training  there  seemed  to  be  an  even 
greater  unity  of  opinion.  The  true  aim 
of  college  education  is,  in  the  opinion  of 
the  leading  men  of  America  whom  we 
consulted,  the  development  of  character 
and  the  training  of  intellectual  power,  and 
not  the  acquisition  of  specialized  or 
technical  knowledge.  Too  much  special- 
ization by  undergraduates,  particularly 
entering  upon  technical  courses  without  a 
sufficiently  broad  foundation  of  general 


56  Aims  and  Defects  of 

culture,  was  held  by  the  dean  of  a  great 
engineering  school  to  be  harmful  to  the 
student's  general  mental  development 
and  detrimental  to  his  ultimate  success. 
Nowhere  was  the  value  of  a  general 
college  education  more  emphasized  than 
in  the  comments  of  prominent  business 
men,  leading  lawyers  and  engineers,  and 
men  engaged  in  technical  education. 
Far  greater  in  value  than  technical 
knowledge  for  success  in  life  was  con- 
sidered the  acquisition  of  the  ability  to 
think,  the  power  of  concentration,  and  the 
development  of  originality  and  initiative. 
As  the  prime  aim  of  college  education, 
outranking  in  importance  even  the  train- 
ing of  the  intellectual  powers,  was  held 
the  development  of  character,  more  par- 
ticularly the  sense  of  public  service, 
responsibility,  seriousness  of  purpose,  and 
temperance  in  all  things.  In  short,  our 
inquiries  showed  that  the  judgment  of 


College  Education  57 

representative  men  in  American  public, 
professional,  and  business  life  is  decidedly 
in  favor  of  a  liberal  education  for  under- 
graduates rather  than  a  technical  one. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  also  evident  from 
many  of  the  comments  received  that  our 
traditional  college  education  is  not  fully 
adequate  to  meet  the  demand  for  a 
general  training  commensurate  with  the 
increasing  complexities  of  our  twentieth- 
century  civilization.  This  is  not  because 
college  education  is  too  general,  but  be- 
cause it  is  too  narrow.  Sound,  of  proved 
value,  and  needed  perhaps  more  than 
ever  in  this  age  of  expanding  individual 
activities,  otir  cultural  college  education 
might  very  well  include  within  its  scope 
instruction  in  certain  matters  of  serious 
importance  to  a  man  of  affairs  in  this  day 
and  generation.  A  certain  grounding  in 
the  principles  of  law,  and  especially  those 
of  commercial  law  and  contracts,  is  not 


58  Aims  and  Defects  of 

only  a  desirable  and  a  most  useftd  equip- 
ment for  the  modern  battle  of  life,  as  Mr. 
Eastman  has  pointed  out  in  his  introduc- 
tion to  this  book,  but  would  have  decided 
general  educational  value.  Mr.  East- 
man's other  suggestions,  first  in  regard  to 
the  treatment  of  employees  and  the  ethical 
principles  involved  in  the  relations  of 
employer  and  employee,  and  secondly, 
concerning  cost  accounting,  more  par- 
ticularly overhead  expense  and  its  rela- 
tions to  cost  of  production,  wages,  etc., 
deal  with  matters  of  serious  and  far- 
reaching  importance,  concerning  which 
not  only  the  public  in  general,  but  the 
educated  public,  and  even  our  University 
Club  members  have  far  too  little  know- 
ledge. The  problem  of  the  just  employ- 
ment and  the  reciprocal  duties  of  employer 
and  employee  is  one  of  the  most  pressing 
of  our  times,  and  has  political,  social,  and 
economic   consequences   of   the   gravest 


College  Education  59 

nature.  Cost  accounting  is  so  important 
in  modem  business  that  its  basic  principles 
are  part  of  the  instruction  given  in  all 
modern  general  courses  in  economics.  A 
course  confined  to  this  subject  should  be 
included  as  a  regular  advanced  course  in 
every  economics  department,  and  be 
required  of  every  student  contemplating 
a  business  career.  Such  a  course  might 
save  many  a  young  man  of  good  promise 
entering  business  life  from  financial  dis- 
aster, and  his  friends  and  the  community 
from  the  misfortunes  attendant  upon  such 
failures. 

At  present,  many  of  our  professional 
schools  in  law,  in  medicine,  in  theology, 
and  in  engineering,  require  colleges  and 
universities  to  give  undergraduate  in- 
struction in  certain  subjects  which  lie  at 
the  basis  of  their  professional  training, 
by  making  a  knowledge  of  these  subjects 
a  condition  of  admission.     Such  reqtiire- 


6o  Aims  and  Defects  of 

ments  are  proper  provided  the  courses 
have  educational  value,  and  are  not  so 
many  in  number  as  to  interfere  with  the 
all-around  intellectual  development  of  the 
undergraduate.  Courses  in  business  law 
and  business  ethics  would  have  very  high 
general  educational  value,  while  a  course 
in  cost  accounting  would  compare  very 
favorably  in  these  respects  with  a  cotirse 
in  organic  chemistry,  or  in  the  higher 
mathematics.  A  reasonable  amount  of 
instruction  in  subjects  fundamental  to 
modem  business  would  moreover  increase 
the  efficiency  of  the  college  as  an  institu- 
tion of  liberal  learning  by  adding  a  certain 
side  to  the  student's  general  training  in 
which  most  men  are  deficient  at  the  time 
of  graduation,  and  by  bringing  them  in 
more  intimate  contact  with  some  of  the 
most  vital  and  pressing  problems  of  the 
day.  It  is  the  broadening  and  himianiz- 
ing  influence  of  a  subject  as  well  as  its 


College  Education  6i 

value  to  the  individual  as  a  preparation 
for  life  which  makes  it  a  proper  subject 
for  college  instruction.  Furthermore, 
such  training  as  has  just  been  mentioned 
would  make  the  young  man  of  far  more 
use  to  his  employer,  who  after  all  must 
pay  for  his  business  education  for  some 
time  after  he  leaves  college,  for  until  he 
acquires  knowledge  of  the  business  and 
habits  of  business  discipline,  he  is  a 
liability  rather  than  an  asset  to  the  firm 
employing  him. 

It  is  evident,  however,  that  the  class- 
room work  of  even  the  most  scholarly 
institution  would  not  suffice  for  the  cnL- 
tivation  of  all  the  traits  of  mind  and 
character,  so  cordially  recommended  by 
our  friends  and  advisers.  Yet,  despite 
this  fact,  and  in  spite  of  the  inadequate 
means  at  their  disposal,  of  the  hampering 
limitations  of  equipment,  of  endowment, 
and  of  personnel,  our  colleges  send  into 


62  Aims  and  Defects  of 

the  world  at  each  Commencement  many 
fair  youths,  intelligent,  virtuous,  and 
strong  of  body,  who  are  destined  to  be- 
come leaders  in  the  life  of  their  time. 
Concerning  these  young  men  we  pro- 
fessors are  apt  to  congratulate  ourselves 
unduly,  for  however  beneficial  to  their 
intellectual  powers  may  be  the  instruction 
we  are  instrumental  in  giving,  it  is  in 
student  life  outside  the  classroom,  rather 
than  within  it,  that  most  men's  characters 
are  made  or  marred.  It  is  here  that  the 
force  of  the  traditions  and  ideals  of  the 
college  exert  their  potent  influence  for 
good  or  evil.  It  is  here  that  traits  of 
loyalty,  of  cooperation  and  self-sacrifice 
for  common  ends,  are  developed,  or 
remain  uncultivated.  It  is  here  that  the 
sense  of  responsibility  to  one's  fellows, 
and  of  devotion  to  the  group  of  which  one 
is  a  part,  must  be  acquired,  if  it  is  to 
be  obtained  at  all.     It  is,  therefore,  of 


College  Education  63 

prime  importance  that  all  the  forces  of 
college  life  be  taken  into  consideration  by 
those  in  authority,  for  it  is  not  merely  in 
matters  of  scholarship  that  the  educa- 
tional efficiency  of  our  different  institu- 
tions differs  widely.  The  statement  of 
Aristotle,  so  often  quoted,  that  impulses 
acted  upon  tend  to  form  habits,  and  that 
habits  combine  to  form  character,  seems 
especially  to  be  true  of  student  life. 
There  are  three  forms  of  such  activities 
of  decisive  importance  in  college,  intel- 
lectual habits,  social  habits,  and  physical 
habits;  since  the  traits  of  mind  and 
character  formed  during  college  life  are 
largely  the  result  of  these  three  kinds  of 
activity. 

In  the  scholastic  work  of  the  college 
there  is  spread  before  the  student  the 
best  which  the  wisest  men  of  all  the  ages 
have  accomplished  in  Hterature,  in  science, 
and  in  philosophy.     The  student  should 


64  Aims  and  Defects  of 

be  made  to  feel  that  he  enters  the  class- 
room with  the  purpose  of  finding  out, 
appreciating,  and  making  real  to  himself 
what  has  been  thought,  and  done,  and 
written  in  the  world;  with  the  intention 
to  train  his  mind  to  think,  so  that  it 
shall  plow  into  things  like  a  steam  shovel, 
deep  down  until  it  strikes  the  very  bed 
rock.  Then  he  will  see  things  clearly 
and  see  them  whole,  and  will  not  be 
blinded  by  words  or  prejudices,  or  fads, 
or  by  popular  opinion.  As  an  educated 
man  it  will  be  his  duty  to  lead  and  not 
trail  behind  public  opinion.  The  college 
should  make  each  student  realize  that  he 
is  not  educated  until  he  has  found  some- 
thing in  literature,  in  science,  in  art,  or 
in  philosophy,  which  appeals  to  him  so 
much  that  he  will  follow  it  up,  at  least 
as  an  avocation,  after  he  leaves  college. 
How  can  anyone  consider  himself  edu- 
cated to  whom  no  form  of  learning  ap- 


College  Education  65 

peals?  Each  student  should  get  at  least 
one  live  intellectual  interest  from  his  col- 
lege course  which  will  remain  a  source  of 
pleasure  and  spiritual  profit  throughout 
his  life. 

Man  is  by  nature  a  social  being,  and 
finds  his  good,  his  moral  progress  in  action 
with  his  fellows.  Every  student  should 
take  part  in  college  activities,  and  make 
something  better  for  his  work  and  influ- 
ence. He  should  be  an  asset  to  the 
college  and  not  a  fixed  charge.  There  is 
excellent  moral  training  to  be  found  in 
fraternity  life,  in  taking  part  in  student 
clubs  and  organizations,  in  working  for 
the  college,  in  shouldering  responsibil- 
ities, in  acquiring  business  methods,  in 
looking  after  and  endeavoring  to  improve 
the  conduct  and  character  and  keep  up 
the  scholarship  of  the  younger  men,  as  is 
so  frequently  done  by  the  upperclassmen 

in  the  clubs  and  fraternities. 
s 


Stociehts  liAt^rarY 


66  Aims  and  Defects  of 

Social  intercourse,  however,  is  wider 
than  college  clubs  and  organizations, 
valuable  as  is  the  training  which  they 
give.  There  is  more  general  training 
which  relates  to  all  with  whom  each  comes 
in  contact,  both  within  and  without  the 
college  walls.  In  such  relations  certain 
laws  and  conventions  have  arisen  natu- 
rally, and  have  f  oimd  expression  in  canons 
of  ethics  and  social  standards.  Of  the 
more  fundamental  principles  the  most  are 
known  already,  indeed  so  well  known  that 
"knowledge  of  them  is  wont  to  outlast 
knowledge  of  the  sciences  themselves." 
The  practical  embodiment  of  such  prin- 
ciples in  the  lives  of  men  and  women  is 
quite  as  necessary  and  quite  as  difficult 
as  ever.  The  college,  however,  should 
impart  such  ethical  knowledge,  that  each 
student  should  not  only  feel  his  obliga- 
tions toward  the  decalogue,  and  his  per- 
sonal responsibility  as  a  member  of  the 


College  Education  67 

community,  which  duty  may  be  made  so 
evident  in  college,  but  should  also  be  made 
to  understand  that  intelligence  and  sound 
ideals  are  needed  in  the  solution  of  the 
wider  and  more  complex  problems  of  our 
ethical  and  political  life.  Further,  that 
laws  exist  therein  which  do  not  change 
either  at  the  will  of  popular  majorities  or 
at  the  desire  of  the  unpopular  rich,  but 
that  beyond  the  power  of  successful  or 
unsuccessful  greed,  or  force,  to  sway  or 
influence,  exist  the  natural  norms  of  life 
and  conduct  in  conformity  with  which 
alone  a  good  life  may  be  constructed,  an 
ideal  life  attained,  by  the  individual  or  by 
the  State. 

Each  student  should  take  part  in 
athletics,  of  which  the  worst  fault  is  not 
that  they  are  too  prevalent,  but  that 
they  are  not  participated  in  by  the  stu- 
dent body  as  a  whole;  and  that  unsports- 
manlike standards  of  conduct  sometimes 


68  Aims  and  Defects  of 

arise.  It  is  not  a  bad  thing  for  a  student 
to  have,  as  one  of  his  ambitions,  the 
making  of  a  team  sooner  or  later  during 
his  college  course.  He  may  not  make  his 
team,  but  he  will  develop  pertinacity,  and 
courage,  and  will  power,  while  aiding 
greatly  in  giving  that  encouragement  and 
support  which  all  forms  of  college  activi- 
ties need  from  every  student,  and  which 
most  forms  of  public  acitivities  need  from 
members  of  the  community.  Students 
should  play  their  games  to  win,  but  should 
not  forget  it  is  a  mere  game  that  they  are 
playing.  The  fate  of  the  coimtry  does  not 
depend  on  the  outcome  of  any  particular 
game,  but  may  depend  on  the  honor,  the 
fairness,  and  the  fortitude  with  which  all 
its  games,  big  and  little,  are  conducted. 

If  a  student  has  played  his  part  with 
distinction,  or  even  to  the  best  of  his 
ability,  in  all  these  sides  of  college  life, 
he  cannot  easily  fail  of  acqxiiring,  in  so 


College  Education  69 

far  as  the  college  can  induce  him  to 
acquire,  those  traits  of  mind  and  char- 
acter which  shall  make  him  useful  and 
efficient  in  modern  life. 

To  this  end  it  is  the  duty  of  the  college 
authorities  and  of  the  public  to  bring  it 
about  that  not  merely  are  certain  subjects 
taught,  in  a  competent  manner,  but  that 
they  be  taught  so  well  as  to  arouse  the 
interest  of  all  students  of  average  intel- 
ligence, and  that  the  scholastic  discipline 
be  so  strict  that  no  habits  of  laziness  or 
slipshod  methods  of  thought  or  work  be 
permitted.  It  is  also  the  duty  of  the 
college  not  merely  to  tolerate  student 
clubs,  fraternities,  and  other  college 
organizations,  but  to  cooperate  most 
cordially  with  them  in  securing  the  high- 
est possible  personal  development  of 
its  students.  All  such  organizations  rest 
on  social  instincts  indispensable  to  society 
and  it  is  upon  the  form  such  instincts  are 


70  Aims  and  Defects  of 

allowed  to  take  and  the  manner  in  which  , 

they  are  permitted  to  develop  that  many  ! 

of  the  best  or  worst  traits  of  student  \ 

character  result.     It  is  by  sympathetic  ■ 

guidance  of  such  social  activities,  not  by  ; 

their  suppression  or  mere  toleration,  that  ; 

the  development  of  such  good  qualities  \ 

is  to  be  secured.     In  regard  to  athletics  , 

the  situation  is  much  the  same.    Athletics  \ 

have  come  to  stay,  and  now  occupy  a  \ 

great   deal   of   time   formerly   given   to  ] 

drinking  and  dissipation,  as  anyone  famil-  \ 

iar  with  college  life  during  the  middle  of  i 

the  last  century  will  admit.     They  some-  i 

times  occupy  too  much  study  time,  and  ■ 

because  of  their  direct  interest  and  strong  ' 

appeal  to  the  student  imagination  are  apt  ', 

to  occupy  too  exclusively  the  focus  of  his  i 

attention,  especially  in  the  spring  and  fall.  ] 

They  also  sometimes  create  false  estimates  \ 

of    values    in    his   mind.     Nevertheless,  | 

college  life  is  far  better  with  them  than  i 


College  Education  71 

without  them,  and  by  proper  control  and 
influence,  they  may  be  made,  as  they  are 
in  many  schools  and  colleges,  most 
powerful  means  of  moral  as  well  as  of 
physical  education. 

If  then  the  aim  of  college  training  is  the 
development  of  character  and  of  intel- 
lectual ability  through  study,  through 
association  with  others,  and  through 
manly  sports  conducted  with  honor  and 
high-mindedness,  it  follows  that  no  one- 
sided development  is  truly  excellent.  It 
is  neither  the  grind  nor  the  college  prig, 
politician  or  social  butterfly,  nor  the  poor 
brainless  athlete  who  is  the  right  type 
of  college  man.  It  is  rather  the  one 
who  by  daily  habit  and  endeavor  has 
won  the  secure  possession  of  intellectual 
power  and  culture,  of  character  and 
enlightenment,  and  of  a  disciplined, 
healthy  body,  who  is  truly  the  representa- 
tive college  man.    Above  all,  it  is  the 


J2  Aims  and  Defects  of 

one  whose  other  acquisitions  have  been 
influenced  by  the  noble  spirit  and  high 
ideals  of  his  Alma  Mater,  in  whose  influ- 
ence he  involuntarily  forms  his  attitude 
toward  the  problems  of  society,  and  in 
whose  light  he  learns  his  first  philosophy 
of  life. 

It  is  as  centers  of  inspiration  and  of 
culture,  as  the  guardians  of  the  spirit  of 
true  appreciation  of  beautiful  things  in 
the  art  and  literature  of  all  ages,  as 
creators  of  science  and  philosophy,  as 
recorders  of  history,  as  the  critics  of 
political  and  social  movements  and  ideas, 
and  as  the  sources  of  new  and  inspiring 
religious  and  ethical  developments,  that 
our  colleges  and  universities  should  stand. 
In  the  presence  of  such  august  mysteries 
as  these  no  student  shall  fail  in  having 
his  life  influenced  for  the  better,  to  his 
own  greater  happiness,  to  the  welfare  of 
society,  to  the  profit  of  the  State. 


College  Education  73 

Imperfectly  as  this  ideal  is  realized  by 
our  existing  institutions  hampered  as  they 
are  by  the  need  of  men  and  money  to 
carry  on  their  work,  and  by  the  unfortu- 
nate educational  experiments  many  of 
them  have  tried,  yet  if  the  judgment  of 
those  whom  we  consulted  is  correct,  it 
would  imply  that  the  best  form  of  college 
education,  both  as  a  preparation  for  life 
and  as  preliminary  to  training  in  the  law, 
in  medicine,  in  engineering,  or  in  any 
profession,  is  at  present  to  be  obtained 
in  what  has  sometimes  been  known  as  a 
cultural  college — one  whose  aim  is  not  to 
give  specialized  instruction  to  its  under- 
graduates, but  to  impart  a  broad  and 
basic  knowledge  of  literature  and  art,  of 
science  and  philosophy,  of  history  and 
politics,  to  the  end  that  at  graduation  its 
students  may  have  an  intelligent  appreci- 
ation of  what  has  been  thought  and  done 
and  written  in  the  world. 


74  Aims  and  Defects  of 

The  place  for  technical  instruction,  in 
law,  in  medicine,  in  theology,  in  engineer- 
ing, in  agriculture,  in  commerce,  or  in 
other  of  the  professions  or  arts,  would 
seem  to  be  in  the  independent  technical 
schools,  or  in  those  attached  as  graduate 
departments  to  the  universities.  A  tech- 
nical and  a  liberal  education  seem  far 
better  taken  separately  than  mixed. 

This  does  not  mean,  however,  that  the 
college  student  should  not  be  allowed  to 
elect,  especially  during  his  last  two  years 
in  college,  a  considerable  portion  of  his 
work  in  those  subjects  which  lie  at  the 
foundations  of  a  knowledge  of  his  future 
profession,  nor  does  it  imply  that  the 
traditional  college  education  is  adequate 
in  all  respects,  but,  as  has  already  been 
pointed  out,  its  curriculum  might  very 
well  be  supplemented  in  certain  particu- 
lars to  meet  the  needs  of  the  time. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  several  of  our  lead- 


College  Education  75 

ing  universities  ultimately  to  require 
all  who  enter  their  professional  schools  to 
be  college  graduates.  Harvard  and  Johns 
Hopkins  have  already  done  so.  Ap- 
parently this  is  the  ideal  arrangement, 
and  is  gradually  being  followed  by  those 
institutions  desirous  of  obtaining  the  best 
possible  results,  while  a  vast  ntimber  of 
students,  ambitious  to  receive  the  best 
education  our  country  offers,  are  now 
following  this  plan  and  are  taking  a 
bachelor's  degree  in  arts,  before  entering 
upon  their  courses  of  professional  study. 

The  student,  however,  who  desires 
certain  special  training,  yet  who  is  unable 
or  unwilling  to  go  through  both  college 
and  a  professional  school,  may  oftentimes 
be  forced  to  choose  between  a  liberal  and 
a  technical  education.  There  are  many 
considerations  properly  affecting  such  a 
decision,  among  which  are  the  immediate 
pressiire  of  circumstances  and  need  of 


76  Aims  and  Defects  of 

immediate  earning  capacity,  character 
and  temperament,  individual  interests 
and  capacity  for  doing  certain  kinds  of 
work.  No  one  would  be  foolish  enough 
to  try  and  lay  down  a  rule  to  govern  all 
such  cases.  Possibly  however,  it  is  not 
out  of  place  to  consider  the  trend  of  the 
answers  we  received,  and  the  character 
and  ability  of  those  who  have  interested 
themselves  sufficiently  in  the  welfare  of 
college  men  and  women,  and  who  are 
deeply  enough  impressed  by  the  impor- 
tance of  college  education,  to  take  the  time 
and  trouble  necessary  to  so  carefully 
express  their  views,  and  so  considerately 
to  aid  us  and  others  who  might  be  con- 
cerned with  their  counsel  and  advice. 

The  ideals  of  the  best  type  of  American 
college  obtained  very  ample  justification 
in  the  results  of  our  inquiry.  Such 
education  is  held  to  be  of  value,  not  only 
as  a  broad  foundation  for  any  form  of 


College  Education  ^^ 

professional  or  business  training,  and  as 
an  excellent  preparation  for  understand- 
ing those  wider  problems  of  public  interest, 
to  the  solution  of  which  it  is  the  duty  of 
each  citizen  to  contribute;  but  is  also  the 
most  approved  means  of  entering  upon 
that  rich  enjoyment  of  intellectual  pleas- 
ures possible  only  to  the  liberally  educated 
man. 

It  might  perhaps  be  inferred  from  these 
results  that  those  colleges  desiring  to 
follow  the  soundest  educational  practice, 
and  to  properly  adapt  their  curricula  of 
studies  to  meet  modem  conditions,  would 
do  so  best  by  making  more  effort  to  give 
their  students  a  liberal  education  than 
many  of  them  are  now  attempting. 

Certain  of  oiu*  small  colleges,  together 
with  a  few  of  the  large  universities,  have 
steadfastly  maintained  their  faith  in  the 
value  of  a  liberal  education  to  produce 
those  traits  of  mind  and  character  which 


78   Defects  of  College  Education 

a  college  should  aim  to  develop  in  its 
students  to  make  them  useful  and  efficient 
in  modem  life,  in  the  face  of  much 
criticism,  and  despite  the  success  of  other 
institutions  which  have  yielded  so  grace- 
fully to  popular  demand.  It  is,  therefore, 
interesting  to  know  that  the  best  opinion 
in  America  is  in  favor  of  just  that  type 
of  education  which  the  cultural  colleges 
have  always  given.  It  is  to  this  type  of 
education,  moreover,  to  which  several 
of  those  colleges  which  for  a  time  fol- 
lowed other  aims  are  again  returning. 


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